Chapter 708: The Power of Tubo
The Heavenly Duke and the Crimson Emperor stared at each other, both caught in a dilemma.
If they lent Qin Mu no more power, he would likely struggle against the Mindu Demon Gods. Lou Yunqu had already gone berserk, even daring to open the Mindu Heavenly Gate to summon demon gods from all realms of Mindu to attack Qin Mu.
Add to that the unfathomably powerful Calamity God, and Qin Mu's situation was precarious.
If they lent the Netherworld Divine Child more power, Qin Mu would become completely demonized, turning into an evil existence that even they would fear. At that point, things would be even harder to control.
"What about..."
The Heavenly Duke hesitated. "Wait a little longer?"
The Crimson Emperor nodded. "Yes, wait a little longer. Let's see..."
The two ancient beings grew uneasy. The Heavenly Duke pried open a crack in the seal and used Qin Mu's third eye to peek at the battle outside. After a moment of spying, the Crimson Emperor couldn't resist and shoved him aside.
They had to negotiate, agreeing that one would watch for a while before letting the other take a turn.
Outside, Qin Mu, the Calamity God, and the others had already fought their way to the skies above the Yong River. As the Mindu Demon Gods surged out of the Mindu Heavenly Gate and overwhelmed him, Qin Mu opened his mouth and spat out a torrent of rolling thunder, engulfing every single Mindu Demon God!
The Mindu Demon Gods were numerous, and many were struck by the lightning, their bodies convulsing violently before collapsing into piles of bones that clattered down.
Mindu Demon Gods were different from demon gods of other worlds. Mindu was a world that had broken away from the Netherworld, retaining some of its characteristics. It was also a gathering place for souls or primordial spirits.
But the difference was that in the Netherworld, soul bodies and primordial spirit bodies could not preserve physical forms, unless they were demon gods nurtured by the Netherworld's dark demonic nature. Of course, gods and demons sent by the Heavenly Court to garrison the Netherworld could also possess bodies.
In Mindu, most gods and demons could have physical bodies, but these bodies were unique.
The physical bodies of Mindu gods and demons were actually the bones they had in life.
When gods and demons of the Heavenly Court died in battle, they often ended up in Mindu. If their physical bodies were preserved, they could be brought along.
However, since their bodies were already dead, they inevitably decayed, leaving only bones to use. Thus, the most common sight in Mindu was an army of skeletal gods and demons.
There were also some with intact bodies, but these were usually gods and demons sent by the Heavenly Court, or experts from the Nether Emperor's lineage.
Qin Mu spat out the Five Cloud Thunder and Fire Bell Divine Weapons he had inhaled but not yet digested. A wave of demon gods were blasted into bones by the thunder and fell, but their primordial spirits immediately gathered the bones back together, continuing their frenzied assault on Qin Mu.
At the same time, the Calamity God was moving with sweeping force, knocking aside the demon gods around him as he closed in on Qin Mu.
The demon gods he sent flying often shattered into pieces mid-air.
His combat power was the strongest; even Qin Mu struggled to gain the upper hand in a direct clash. If he got close, it would be extremely dangerous.
Yet even when these bones were ground to dust, they could still reassemble—truly bizarre, an almost unkillable army of gods and demons.
Lou Yunqu watched the battle nervously, his eyes fixed on Qin Mu, who was surrounded by a horde of demons. Fragments of bone kept falling from the sky into the Yong River, but soon reassembled and surged out of the water to rejoin the fray.
The Mindu Demon Gods feared no death, for they were already dead. They cared nothing for any attack or injury.
The Yong River was blasted until its flow was cut off, revealing the dragon vein beneath. Over the years, the dragon vein had grown rapidly, its scales and claws becoming clearer.
The river water was blasted into the air, forming a magnificent spectacle under the moonlight—like countless moons made of water, refracting the moon's pure radiance.
Qin Mu and the many demon gods flew among the massive water spheres, locked in fierce battle. With every collision, a skeletal demon god was sent flying, and the recoil forced Qin Mu to constantly shift positions.
Water spheres exploded in the air, scattering jade-like droplets, dazzling under the moonlight.
The most terrifying was the Calamity God. With a single strike, his divine power pierced through dozens of huge water spheres, tearing them apart into the finest mist.
"At this rate, capturing him won't be difficult."
Lou Yunqu finally allowed himself to relax. Just then, he felt a chill at his back. He quickly turned around and saw, behind his Mindu Heavenly Gate, a figure gradually emerging from the dark world of Mindu. The moonlight of Yankang illuminated his face, revealing handsome features.
"Master!"
Lou Yunqu was startled and was about to bow, but the Nether Emperor raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence. He smiled as he looked at Qin Mu through the netherworld.
Lou Yunqu didn't understand his intent and grew uneasy. "Master is personally watching this battle? Is this Netherworld Divine Child really that important? His strength is considerable, but not as legendary as they say. Why would Master take such an interest?"
The Nether Emperor's gaze was deep, locked onto Qin Mu as he fought against the countless skeletal demon gods, following his every move.
"So it's him."
The Nether Emperor mused. "We met in the Netherworld. I thought he was Tian Shu's disciple, but now it seems the boy was fooling me. He played his part well..."
The skeletal demon gods of Mindu were all dead, but the Nether Emperor was a living god. The dead could enter Yankang through the Mindu Heavenly Gate, but he could not.
—Mindu was once part of the Netherworld, inheriting some of its traits, but not completely.
This was why Lou Yunqu and his kind needed to ride the Southern Heaven Crimson Emperor Qi Xiayu's Phoenix Treasure Ship to enter Yankang.
"He still hasn't recovered to his peak state. Could it be that my Netherworld Jade Mirror suppressed him?"
He didn't know that Qin Fengqing and Qin Mu were two people sharing the same body and soul, so he was confused.
Just then, both the Nether Emperor, peeking from Mindu, and the Heavenly Duke and Crimson Emperor, hidden in the Qin Continent, witnessed a terrifying scene.
Qin Mu, unable to secure a quick victory, suddenly opened his mouth and took a long, deep breath. The air above the Yong River nearly vanished!
All the skeletal demon gods were frozen in midair, struggling to stabilize themselves, but their primordial spirits were being torn from their bodies by a strange, unfathomable force!
Every skeletal demon god fought with all their might to resist this terrible power, but some still had their primordial spirits forcibly ripped out, helplessly flying toward Qin Mu's mouth.
They felt a great terror—a fear they had never known since death.
This was a natural suppression, the dominance of a higher life form over a lower one, instilling a soul-deep dread!
Even the Calamity God was caught by Qin Mu's technique, struggling to resist the pull on his primordial spirit and soul.
His cultivation was extremely formidable, surpassing even Qin Mu and Lou Yunqu in pure power. Yet even so, his primordial spirit was occasionally yanked out of his body, forcing him to use all his vast divine power to resist, leaving him unable to attack Qin Mu.
"Is this the power of the Netherworld Divine Child?" Lou Yunqu shuddered.
His own primordial spirit had left his battered body, and now it too felt an inexplicable fear, sensing that Qin Mu at this moment was its natural enemy!
Hidden in the Qin Continent, the Heavenly Duke and Crimson Emperor also felt a tremor in their hearts. The Heavenly Duke murmured, "The power of Tubo... the power of Tubo, unbound by Netherworld rules..."
The Crimson Emperor's heart tightened. He understood the implication. The power Qin Mu displayed was akin to Tubo's, but different.
Tubo was a god born of heaven and earth. From birth, he had to follow the rules of the Netherworld. Despite his unimaginable power, he had to act within those constraints.
But the Netherworld Divine Child's power, while similar to Tubo's, broke free from the Netherworld's limits, allowing him to wield it without restraint!
This was why the Netherworld's overlords feared Qin Mu, and why many with ulterior motives sought to obtain him.
The Heavenly Duke murmured, "The power of Tubo, unbound by Netherworld rules—that is truly fearsome power."
"This is the power I want."
From within the Mindu Heavenly Gate came the Nether Emperor's faint sigh. "I have always sought a way to surpass Tubo, but never found the method. Tubo is too powerful. Even if I cultivate to the Throne Seat, I cannot catch up to him, let alone surpass him. And now, this path lies before me."
"If I obtain it, I can take his place..." he whispered.
Lou Yunqu was startled, pretending not to hear the Nether Emperor's words.
The Nether Emperor's words were too terrifying. Even though Mindu had broken away from the Netherworld, talk of eliminating Tubo and taking his place was still shocking. What kind of being was Tubo?
Whether the Netherworld, the Fengdu, or the former Dark Capital, Black City, and other places—all were realms similar to the Netherworld, built from fragments of Tubo's horn.
Just a fragment of Tubo's horn could create such magnificent and eerie afterworlds. One could imagine how terrifying Tubo's true power was.
Taking his place—Lou Yunqu dared not even think of it.
But the Nether Emperor dared.
"Let him devour my Mindu demon gods? Then the face of Mindu's Black Emperor would have nowhere to hide."
In Mindu, a massive void vortex formed behind the Nether Emperor. Within the vortex, a strange eye opened, emitting a dark light that shone from Mindu into Yankang, illuminating the skeletal demon gods whose primordial spirits were being pulled out above the Yong River.
The demon gods' primordial spirits, touched by that light, immediately broke free from Qin Mu's pull and flew uncontrollably toward Lou Yunqu's Mindu Heavenly Gate, trying to return to Mindu.
At that moment, Qin Mu's third eye suddenly blazed with light. The butterfly-wing-shaped radiance expanded its range, and the demon gods' primordial spirits, before they could fly back to Mindu, were frozen again, struggling weakly as they drifted backward.
The Nether Emperor let out a soft exclamation, frowning slightly. The vortex behind him grew larger, and the strange eye within it slowly opened wider, its light shifting from dim to bright.
This eye in the vortex resembled Qin Mu's third eye, but with differences. It was likely a technique cultivated by imitating Tubo's vertical eye.
Yet, against Qin Mu's third eye, his technique seemed to be losing ground!
Qin Mu was actually suppressing his technique!
"The power of the Netherworld Divine Child is truly extraordinary!"
The Nether Emperor was both surprised and delighted, growing excited. "If I could possess and wield this power, the entire Netherworld would be my domain. Why fear Tubo? Why fear the Heavenly Emperor? Open!"
The vortex behind him flew forward and slammed into his forehead, imprinting itself as a third eye.
The Nether Emperor channeled his divine power into this eye, and it immediately overpowered Qin Mu's third eye. Just then, Qin Mu's mouth emitted obscure, guttural Netherworld language—low, then high, rhythmic and resonant.
The Nether Emperor looked confused, feeling an invisible force invade Mindu, searching for souls and spirits.
"Soul-summoning technique! He's trying to..."
Before he could finish the thought, the light from Qin Mu's third eye bypassed Lou Yunqu, shot through the Mindu Heavenly Gate, and blazed into Mindu, shining upon him.
The Nether Emperor's primordial spirit stirred, nearly leaving his body.
"Can the soul-summoning technique be used like this?"
The Nether Emperor grew even more puzzled. The soul-summoning technique was only meant to call back the dead, to revive them. But Qin Mu was trying to forcibly drag his primordial spirit out of Mindu!
With only one percent of the Netherworld Divine Child's power, Qin Mu naturally couldn't pull his primordial spirit out of Mindu. But this application of the technique was startling and caused him some trouble.
However, just as his primordial spirit was jolted by the soul-summoning pull, a sudden change occurred.
A goat-horned deity, reeking of alcohol, brandished a long blade and burst into laughter, charging through Lou Yunqu's Mindu Heavenly Gate into Mindu. With one slash, he struck the Nether Emperor's forehead!
"Mindu's Black Emperor, I've come to thank you for the wine!"
—Today, I'm holed up in the hotel, writing, writing, writing!